


Without You

by BarcelonaFanForever



Series: Don't Go Away From My Heart [1]
Category: Football RPF
Genre: Infidelity, Jealousy, M/M, Marriage, Misunderstandings, Past Relationship(s), Unhappy marriage, and neymar just doesn't know what the fine line is, arranged marriage at the beginning, but then actual feelings are developed, but they have some problems, leo is in love with cris
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-03
Updated: 2017-05-14
Packaged: 2018-08-28 20:19:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8461573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BarcelonaFanForever/pseuds/BarcelonaFanForever
Summary: Neymar's mother had once pulled him to the side looked at him and said "Never fall in love with a married man, they'll never be able to fit you into their life." Now, Neymar wishes he had taken that advice more seriously.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This idea is solely inspired by a tv show I watched about a married couple. It's not that I don't like Neymar. I love him very much which is why I tried to not make him as much of a bad guy.

The first time, Neymar Da Silva Santos Jr. had actually acknowledged that he might have been in love with Lionel Messi was during their away game against Atletico Madrid. High off the win, Neymar had instantly hit the showers ready to brush off the smell of champagne and sweat. And after taking quite possibly the longest shower in the history of showers that he had taken he had simply come out of the locker room. To be presented with a very naked Leo (suffice the towel that was wrapped around his waist).

" _Shit." Leo had said as he struggled to cover himself up while maintaining to keep a hold of the towel that was holding the last shreds of his dignity. His cheeks had been a pale pink as he hurriedly pulled a pair of pants underneath his towel, successfully keeping the fabric clenched between his fists._

_Neymar had just stared. He had watched with fascination as the drops of water lazily made their way down the hard plans of Leo's stomach, leading to the final destination of whatever was beneath the towel. Meanwhile, the latter oblivious to Neymar's staring had managed to successfully pull his pants up and slumped against the bench letting out a sigh of relief._

_"Sorry Ney." Leo let out a soft chuckle rubbing his hand along the back of his neck bashfully, a habit that he had accustomed and practiced whenever he was put in nerve wracking situations._

_Don't be. Neymar wants to say. Don't be. Because he wants the towel to slip. He doesn't know until this very moment, when Leo is fully clothed and ready to head out. How badly he wants the towel to slip off, and how bad he just wants Leo to be his._

_Leo now fully dressed places, the last of his belongs in his bag before turning to Ney quizzically._

_"You coming Ney?"_

_And at that very moment. Neymar realizes that he's ready to follow Leo to the end of the world._


	2. neymar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so a little info for the story since I forgot to put an arranged marriage tag. 
> 
> Leo and Cris start off with an arranged marriage (a publicity stunt) it's more of a deal on Cris' end. I know my other story has the same sort of element to a certain extent. But Leo and Cris don't really love each other, so it's more of a "You help me, I'll help you" deal. 
> 
> Leo and Neymar had a thing, but then things changed. And well now, the rest shall be told in due time.

The problem with his bed was that it was always empty.

 

Not empty in the literal sense, because Neymar had no shortage of bed warmers. In fact, he flaunted the hidden terms of his sexuality by bringing both male and female conquests. It also helped because there would be something to talk about in the locker room. Not in the degrading way of course, because everyone had been raised to respect women. But Neymar wanted his teammates to know, that even though he couldn’t get the actual person he wanted that wouldn’t keep him from getting others.

 

The best part would be seeing Leo quietly watching Neymar. Absentmindedly, twisting the ring on his left ring finger. How Neymar hated that ring. He absolutely loathed the metal band on that cut Leo off from the rest of the world. It was just another screaming example that once again Neymar had lost out on the best.

 

It wasn’t his fault though. At one point he had thought he was going to ask Leo. That Leo would wear his ring. And that had all seemed the plan. Until it no longer was the plan and Neymar consecutively was no longer happy.

 

_“I don’t understand.” His hands felt clammy as he sank back down on the bench. In front of him stood Leo and Leo’s agent. And a ring. A metal band on Leo’s ring finger. Only problem was Neymar didn’t put it there._

_He stared at the offending piece of metal that no longer allowed Leo to be his._

_“I don’t understand. Is this some type of joke?” Leo was married. Except not married to him. Leo’s agent leaned over and murmured something into the latter’s ear. But Leo’s eyes never left Ney’s and he waved a dismissive hand. His agent strode out of the room shooting Neymar a guarded look as he left._

_“Ney-” Leo’s voice was soft and placating. But it wasn’t the usual tone. He seemed more guarded, less affectionate. And all because of that stupid piece of metal. Neymar wanted to rip the ring off._

_“It was for the best Ney.”_

_“How? Do you even love him?” Neymar’s head really hurt._

_“I like Cristiano.” There it was that guarded tone again. It had taken Neymar almost two years to break down all the walls. And in a few hours those walls were back up._

_“I asked you if you loved him Leo.” His tone was harsh and he saw Leo flinch as if Neymar’s words hurt him more than it hurt Neymar to say them. He should have cared, he should have. But he couldn’t. Because Leo had committed betrayal._

_“I like him now. I’ll grow to love him soon.” Leo sounded confident. Neymar wanted to laugh. Oh God how he wanted to laugh. But he couldn’t. His laughter, his pain, everything had been suspended._

 

_He took a step forward and Leo took a step backward. That hurt. That really hurt. The days of pressing Leo into cool sheets, murmuring his name like a prayer all had been destroyed in a few hours. He took another step, until he stood in front of Leo. His hands went to Leo’s face. He expected Leo to push him away again. But the other seemed just as frozen as Neymar. The slight flickering of his eyes was the only indication that he was in the moment._

_Slowly and gingerly Neymar leaned in even further. He could smell Leo’s minty breath, the deodorant that he used and even the light scent of baby formula that most likely came from holding Mateo for too long. But there was another scent entwined amongst all those. A heady, rich scent that Neymar didn’t know personally but could associate much better now._

_An unfamiliar anger spread over him. He had always been angry but now this was a different type of anger. An itch under his skin that was threatening to break out if he didn’t snuff out the cause. Very carefully, as if he was a sculptor and Leo was the statue he inched his face closer and closer. Leo was still frozen. Which could be good or bad. Just a few more inches, and Neymar would be able to claim what was his again._

_Suddenly a hand stopped him._

_“Ney stop.” Leo’s tone was warning. It had barely shifted in pitch but Neymar felt a cold dread swoop over him. The hand applied more pressure and Leo turned his face away. Took a few steps back. Neymar’s hands hung in the balance. An empty space. And his dignity crumbled._

_“Please Leo.” He didn’t know he could ever beg like this. Could he have ever imagined the pain he was feeling now? No. He needed to hold Leo, touch him, kiss him. But the Argentinean stepped even further back._

_“I know you don’t love him. You love me. You love me.” Neymar chanted the words like a prayer. For a second he hoped. He hoped, he prayed that Leo would whip off the ring and say “Yes.” But the other man barely made a noise. His eyes were black and unforgiving as they stared Neymar. The same eyes that used to be so expressive, so happy now had a light dimmed. The light that Neymar used to look for so eagerly was gone._

_“I’m married Ney. I have a husband. A family.” The words sounded rehearsed to Neymar. This wasn’t Leo. It couldn’t be Leo. But at the same time it was._

_What about me? What happened to all the promises you made? How can you do this to me? He wanted to scream. But he couldn’t._

_Was this the heartbreak that his sister always felt? The kind of heartbreak that left his mother in tears after the worst fights with his father? At that time Neymar had only been there to offer comfort to them. Hold their hands, hug them, kiss them, make them feel better._

_He would always be strong for them and then come home to Leo. Leo who would hold him as he cried, as he let out the frustration he felt. His inability to be a better brother, a better son, a better father, a better person._

_“Please.” His voice cracked. He closed his eyes, holding back the tears. What was the point of crying? Leo was no longer his, he would never hold and comfort him again._

_When he opened them again Leo was gone. This time he didn’t hold back, as the tears finally fell._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's see IF I can churn out another chapter before the night ends. Next chapter is in Cris' viewpoint!
> 
> ALSO the next chapter will take a sort of time leap of almost four five years. SO, Leo and Cris have been married for quite a while.
> 
> Comments. I live for the comments.


	3. leo

_ **Five Years Later** _

 

The first thing Leo did when he woke up was fall out of his bed. He blamed the situation on the fact that in their bedroom him and Cris both had single beds. Before, Leo had been accustomed to the idea of a whole bed with plenty of room to move around as freely as one wished. But now, things were much different.

 

***

 

_“I think that we should sleep in separate beds-for now” Cris’ tone was nonchalant as he stood side by side with Leo in his bedroom- which was now **their** bedroom. The words felt foreign to Leo, both in his mind and out loud. He nodded, unable to find the words. _

_“I won’t push you, you know?” Cris said as he turned to stare at Leo. Even in the dimly lit room, his stare was intense, reaching through Leo and all the way to his core._

_He didn’t know what he was supposed to say to that. The thought of Cris touching him, sharing a bed, doing the things all married people do didn’t repulse him. He wasn’t lying to Neymar when he had acknowledged the possibility of falling in love with Cris._

_“Thank you.” He found his voice, and shakily uttered the words._

_Cris’ expression softened. “You’re welcome. Good night Leo.” With that, he strode past Leo settling for the bed on the right side of the room. Leo wasn’t sure how long he stood there watching as Cris experimented with the position in the narrow space before finding an angle he liked and closing his eyes._

_His feet followed, pursuit. Further into the room they walked, leading him towards the other bed. For a second, he thought about waking Cris up, asking him to join the beds. Maybe, they could start off the relationship with a fresh start. But, his feet wouldn’t lead him to the bed where his **husband** slept. _

_The bed on the left seemed to welcome him with open arms as he slipped underneath the covers. There was a scent, that he couldn’t identify quite yet. But he fell asleep clinging to it, as the scent of home._

 

****

The routine in the Messi-Ronaldo house was simple. And, over the course of five years Leo had perfected it well. Whoever woke up first, had the responsibility of waking up the children.

 

Sometimes, it was Leo. But most of the time, it was Cris. The Portuguese was often awake and out of the bedroom by the time Leo had woken up, and at night he was home later than Leo. Sometimes, there would be days that Leo didn’t see him. Not because, the team had traveled somewhere else but rather that Cris chose to spend as little time as possible with Leo. Even if Leo wanted to wait for Cris, sleep lulled him to close his eyes and when he reopened them it was morning, and the sign of the other being in the bedroom practically nonexistent.

 

The sound of the showers pulled Leo from his rather depressing thoughts. So Cris, was still here. Somehow, the thought comforted Leo as he pushed back the comforters and stepped out of the bed before heading out the door.

 

****

The kids were the best part of the arrangement. When Mateo had been born, Leo had worried. Worried, about a lot of things. And when he and Cris had gotten married, Leo had worried that Mateo and the responsibilities of taking care of him would make an even bigger wedge between the two of them. But, he had been pleasantly surprised when Cris had adopted the role of second father perfectly.

 

The baby, spent his time evenly between the two teams. And was thus, the most spoiled out of all three children.

 

****

 

_“Another jersey?” Leo sighed dramatically as he folded what seemed to be the fifteenth Real Madrid jersey that week._

_Cris was sitting on his bed smiling softly._

_“I can’t help it if the whole team seems to take it upon themselves to all become unofficial godfathers to Matu.”_

_“Yeah but-THIS IS SERGIO’S JERSEY?!” Leo exclaimed as he noticed the name on the back._

_“Well yeah- he said that as the best godfather out of all of them, Matu should wear his jersey to all the games.” Cris snorted as he stared at the piece of fabric in Leo’s hands._

_“He does know right? That Matu already has a way important person to root for on the team than his godfather-sorry godfathers?”_

_There was a moment of silence as Cris stopped smiling and started staring at Leo. He felt a blush come over the back of his neck. He shouldn’t have said anything at all._

_There were a few moments of silence before Cris stood up and walked out of the bedroom. The exit was abrupt, and Leo sagged against the sofa with frustration. All he tried to do was make a step, a sign of progress. But perhaps, he had been too fast_

_He didn’t know how long he sat there with the jersey crumpled in his hands, creases starting to show in the fabric. It felt like eternity before Cris came back in. But he wasn’t alone. Rather, he held Mateo in his arms. The baby clearly had been sleeping, but had been jostled awake from Cris walking with him. He let out a few discontented sounds before adjusting to Cris holding him and changed his tone to something more of contented satisfaction._

_Leo watched as Cris walked over to the pile of jerseys that had taken up one of the drawers. The other seemed to search for something while holding Mateo with one hand, and finally pulled out a piece of white fabric._

_“This one-” his gaze was serious as he pointed the fabric towards Leo, the words Ronaldo emblazoned on the back._

_“This is the only one that should matter. He can wear the others around the house.”_

_Leo nodded a sense of relief._

_“That one.” He promised fervently, a sudden lightness in his heart._

****

The kids’ bedroom was also one of the best places in Leo’s opinion to detox. He and Cris had yet to have an actual fight, but sometimes the solace of this room was better than the stifling environment.

 

Junior, Thiago, and Mateo all shared a room. At first, Leo had protested. He knew sleep was vital, especially at such a young age. To him Mateo sleeping in the boy’s room would only cause a distraction. But the boys had pleaded and begged, they would have gone on a hunger strike too if Leo hadn’t caved so easily.

 

So the room, which had originally been Junior’s room had been widened and modified to accommodate all three boys. Now, the boys barely left the room. Sometimes, Leo gave into their requests of having food in their room. But most of the time, he sternly instructed them to eat together in the kitchen.

 

Mateo was still sleeping, and Leo could barely make out the others. His heart was flooded with fondness as he reached over to run his fingers over the baby’s cheeks. The baby cooed in response, his tiny hands reaching up to grab at Leo’s fingers.

 

“Matuuuuuu” Leo crooned almost in a singing tone as he leant further in the crib, inhaling the sweet baby smell that emitted. As he did he could hear a slight giggling in the background. A smile spread over his face as he realized the creators of the noise.

 

“Mateo. You and I are going to have pancakes today. And we’re going to eat all of them. Since no one else really wants them.” Leo said loudly as he stood back up, scooping the baby and pretending to make his way to the door.

He had almost made it, when a sudden force attacked his leg. Actually both his legs. He looked down smiling when he saw Thiago looking back up at him.

 

“Papa! How can you forget me!?” the little boy pouted reaching up at Leo imploringly.

 

The tug on his other leg caused Leo to look over at the other side where Junior stared up, his eyes dark and pleading. Leo wanted to laugh but maintained a stern face.

 

“You two didn’t give your Papa any kisses. Mateo here was the only one. So, he’s the only one who gets pancakes.” As if on cue, Mateo let out a pleased giggle drool slipping out of his mouth and onto Leo’s shirt.

 

Thiago and Junior both looked at each other, silently conversing for a few seconds and then nodding at each other in agreement.

 

“Papa.” Junior said quietly, staring at Leo gravely as if denying him pancakes was the greatest sin in the whole, wide world. Leo wanted to laugh terribly, but he held his lips together looking down at Junior.

 

“Lean down.” The latter demanded pulling on the hem of Leo’s pants more and more.

Leo squatted down, careful not to drop Mateo. The two boys looked at each other before leaning in and placing two soft kisses on their respective sides of Leo’s face.

 

“We love you Papa.” Junior said solemnly as he wrapped his arms around Leo’s neck. Thiago nodded in accordance doing the same, as he buried his face into Leo’s neck.

 

A lump appeared in Leo’s throat, and he cleared his throat a few times before standing up slowly and carefully.

 

“I love you both too. More than anything. Now let’s get those pancakes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed! 
> 
> Next chapter is in Cris' POV 
> 
> Comments as usual are highly appreciated!


	4. cris

“I can’t believe he refused to let him wear my jersey!” Sergio’s incredulous voice was what made the dreary practice that morning much more enjoyable.

 

Cris adjusted the front labels of his jersey once before checking for any imaginary pieces of lint.

 

“Get over it Sergio-”he was cut off by the stunned defender.

 

“Get over it!? I will not get over it. This a tragedy I say, a damn tragedy.”

 

The only thing, Cris thought was the tragedy of how much Sergio could talk when agitated. He made a mental note, to call Iker and tell him how his boyfriend was falling apart without him.

 

Iker. How he missed the captain. Regardless, of whatever was going on in the world Iker always had time to fix the problems of his teammates. Some even attributed his thinning scalp to the burden of others being pressed upon him. But not once had Iker complained, and even when he was so far away from the team he still found ways to help.

 

****

 

****

_The shower was running. But then the shower was always running. After a year of being married to Leo, Cris had observed two things._

  * _Leo hated confrontation. Absolutely hated it._



_Whenever there tended to be any signs of a fight brewing, Leo would quickly stand up his eyes gleaming with unsaid emotions and leave the area immediately._

  * _He took long showers._



_Perhaps, it was Leo’s way of drowning out unwanted sounds. Sounds, that were masked by noise of running water._

_Right now Cris was pounding on the door. Frustration seeped through him as Leo made no attempt to turn off the water, or even answer._

_“Goddamnit Leo.” He yelled trying to keep his tone level measuring in the fact that Junior and Thiago had just gotten home from school._

_That was another unspoken rule. Growing up, Cris had seen the impact of his parent’s fights not only on him but the rest of his siblings. Therefore, it had been established that anything that resulted from dissatisfaction between the two of them would be shared in private at a minimal tone and behind closed doors._

_It had been a simple question that had quickly blown out of proportion. Cris had been scrolling through his feed when Ricky had sent him a link of an article along with the caption “Must read ASAP.” And he would’ve read the article later because it was Ricky, and Ricky was the type of person who thought a new type of dressing on salads was something that the whole world should know about._

_But, after what seemed like a million texts from Ricky constantly badgering Cris to read the article he had no option but to do so._

_Instantly, he wished he didn’t._

_Because there was a picture of Leo at training. And normally Cris would’ve blown past the picture. There were pictures of him at training too, so really it was no big deal. But this picture was different._

_Different, in the sense that Leo and Neymar were featured quite close to each other. Too close to be just friends. And the heading of the article was just as insulting._

**_“Leo Messi’s Marriage A Sham? Barcelona Forward Getting Back Together with Old Flame?”_ **

_Really, in all certainty Cris should have ignored it. It had been a year of their marriage, and despite not being physically or even emotionally intimate he owed Leo that much. After all, the Argentinean had never given an indication of unfaithfulness. Ever._

_What Cris should have done in that situation was to close the tab, berate Ricky for sending him the article and simply forget that the whole thing ever happened._

_But he couldn’t. He couldn’t forget it as he prepared dinner for the kids, nor could he forget it as he laid Mateo down for the night, nor could he forget it as he stood underneath the shower rinsing away the grime from the day._

_He didn’t know how long he stood underneath the shower, or how much water he wasted. He didn’t even think about the outrageous water bill he would receive the following month. Eventually though, he had to turn off the water. His skin felt like had been scrubbed clean. And as he went to go grab the towel the gleam of his wedding ring caught his eye._

_The band had been simple. Nothing too extravagant because Leo didn’t want anything extravagant. They always kept their rings on too. During games, during practice, during the night. In fact, Cris no longer even noticed the ring. Months ago it had been weird. An unfamiliar object nestled on his finger with more force than love. But now, the ring had become part of him._

_If the rumors were true, he thought. If they were true, the ring would come off. And the marriage would break. After all, what use was it to be tied to someone else, if your heart beat for someone else._

_It was useless, he decided. He would talk to Leo tonight. After all they were married. He was owed this much clarification._

_When he stepped out of the bathroom, Leo was already there. For a second, Cris froze._

_They said that even the worst of the worst marriages had impacts on you. After his father died, Cris’ mother had never looked at another man the same way again. And she had multiple chances, Cris had begged her to restart the life that she had so selflessly sacrificed for someone who was no longer in this world._

_But she had shaken her head silently, weariness overcoming her features._

_“Marriage isn’t a joke Cris. When you marry someone, you make a lifelong commitment. And those types of commitments can’t just be broken in the blink of an eye.” She had slipped on her wedding ring after that, and even to this day Cris had never seen it taken off._

_Leo turned around his eyes wide._

_“Sorry. I thought you weren’t home yet. Although, I saw the dishes in the sink so really I don’t know what I was thinking.” Leo rambled as he avoided eye contact making his way to the closet for a fresh change of clothes._

_Cris stood there for a while staring at Leo’s back. He could see the Argentinean’s shoulder blades tense up almost as if he felt the gaze but was too ashamed to turn around to face. That bothered Cris. Shame, should only be for those who had done something wrong. If Leo felt-, he couldn’t bring himself to think the thoughts._

_And suddenly, he felt a sense of anger. The same sense of anger that he had unexpectedly received when he had read the article._

_“Leo.” The Argentinean flinched but didn’t turn around as he continued to fold clothes._

_Cris stepped closer, his foot hitting the creaky part of the flooring which caused Leo to stiffen up. Cris hated that, after a year of being married he had grown to see Leo de-stress when he was at home. Of course, it wasn’t with him but nonetheless Leo to the outside world was much different than the Leo behind closed doors. And Cris enjoyed relaxed, not a care in the world Leo. This Leo made him feel like the smaller man was a deer ready to run the minute it felt it was being threatened._

_“I have a question.” He tried to make his tone as nonchalant as possible. But how the hell was someone supposed to sound nonchalant about cheating? Alleged cheating. He reminded himself. He didn’t know yet if Leo was carrying out some affair behind his back._

_Leo didn’t turn around, but spoke. “Go ahead.”_

_“There have been rumors...” Cris started carefully. Well, they weren’t really rumors. There was some solid photographic evidence. Sure, some sleazy reporter had probably wanted to add fuel to the fire (which he had succeeded in doing) but Cris wasn’t going to let that boil up straight into uncontrollable flames._

_Leo turned around suddenly and Cris found himself wishing that Leo had his back to him when he addressed the situation. He was a coward. He really was. Because looking at Leo, it appeared the younger man had a fuse lit in him. A fuse, that would blow any second if Cris didn’t place his words carefully._

_The man stopped folding clothes and folded his arms. It was supposed to be a nonthreatening gesture. But it didn’t make Cris feel very comforted. Man up. He wanted to tell himself. But it was hard to do so when Leo himself looked like he was ready for a fight should Cris give him the chance._

_He scrubbed his hands over his face wearily._

_“Look Leo, there have been rumors about you and Neymar. And, I know what goes on between the two of you isn’t my business. Because I’m sure they’re not true. But nonetheless, I don’t like to hear things like that said about you. I can handle a lot of things, but demeaning things about your character is something I can’t and won’t tolerate.” He said tentatively._

_Leo stood still. He hadn’t moved. And Cris felt a sense of dread. He didn’t have experience in these sorts of things. Really, there should have been a handbook on how to deal with situations where you thought your spouse was cheating. When Leo continued not to say anything Cris turned back around. He should’ve felt relief that he had gotten it off his chest. But somehow, a small voice in the back of his head seemed to fill him with the notion that things had gotten much, much worse._

_“You believe them?”_

_There it was._

_Honestly, he wasn’t equipped for this type of relationship. But nonetheless, he turned back around. Leo was staring at him looking angry. But why was he angry? If anything, Cris had the right to be angry. If he voiced that though, he was sure Leo would rip his head right off._

_“I said- do you believe them.” There was a slight shakiness to Leo’s tone and Cris saw his hands shaking as if it was taking a lot of pressure to not snap._

_“Well I-” he was cut off by an angry Leo._

_“We’ve been married for how long?”_

_Cris was taken aback. But, as he went to open his mouth Leo cut him off again looking visibly more outraged._

_“How long? Five years right? In in that five years, have I ever given you a chance to doubt me on my faithfulness? I mean, if anything I should be the one doubting you.” Leo snapped a pinkish hue covering his cheeks._

_“What’s that supposed to mean?” Cris felt his temper rising, and all sympathy for Leo going out the window._

_Leo let out a scoff and that infuriated Cris even more. He couldn’t believe it. How had they gone from talking about Leo, to him? He could say with absolute certainty that he had never looked at another man in the entire five years._

_“I mean I don’t love you. But I’m trying aren’t I? Five years is a lot of time, and I thought-trust would be established. But now you’re just going off some trashy magazine cover. Shouldn’t you have asked me first? How can you expect this to work? If you don’t even trust me?” Leo shouted._

_That hurt. He should’ve expected that. Cris had always told himself, that in some fucked up way of the universe maybe he didn’t deserve love. Maybe, that’s why God had given him a marriage where clearly there wasn’t ever going to be a chance of true happiness. But, he hadn’t expected to hear it from Leo. In the five years, Leo had never given him a chance to be this upset. They weren’t an actual couple, but Cris had hoped that perhaps for the rest of their lives they could be friends. And deep down, he had hoped that one day it would be an actual marriage. His heart shouldn’t have been in so much pain from hearing the truth. But still, it hurt more. And for a few seconds, Cris couldn’t breathe._

_How had things gotten so uncontrollably out of control? He wanted to say something. Anything. He wanted Leo to believe that he trusted him. Because he did, but at the same time a part of him trusted the article too._

_Leo didn’t wait for answer though because he grabbed his clothes and headed to the bathroom slamming the door shut._

_And at that moment Cris realized he had sincerely fucked up._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> was this my best chapter? Probably not. I had Iker in the beginning but I couldn't figure out a way to incorporate him in this chapter. Next chapter is back to Leo. 
> 
> Comments, GIMME those comments.


	5. leo

Leo had slept in the kids’ room that night. When he had come out of the shower Cris was sitting on his bed. He had just stared and for a few seconds Leo thought that things could be fixed. But then the Portuguese had simply turned his back to Leo before settling underneath the covers.

 

So, Leo had shifted to the kids’ room. And of course they had been delighted. Thiago and Junior had climbed all over demanding a movie night. And Leo obliged. They had watched so many Disney movies, that Leo decided he had to hide a majority of the collection before it was asked of him again.

 

He slept on the floor much to Junior’s chagrin. But Leo, with his blankets and pillows made sure that Junior was convinced that he was comfortable enough before the boy went to sleep. Even then, as the entire room was silent filled occasionally with a snivel from Thiago and Junior, or a soft gurgling from Mateo, Leo couldn’t sleep.

 

A part of him wanted to be angry at Cris. But as he went over his words in the heated moment, he realized with shame that he had been wrong to lash out. After all, they were married. Honesty was expected.

 

When Leo had envisioned marriage, he honestly hadn’t envisioned this. He had envisioned coming home and being able to share everything with the man he loved. Of course he shared things with Cris. The days the house was empty and it was just two them, Leo often filled the silence with stories about his past and present. Cris had chipped in too, and over the course of five years Leo had learned a lot about the older man then he could’ve ever expected.

 

But it was almost like a friendly type of banter. Cris would tease Leo about how Lucho seemed to have an aneurysm any time a goal was let through. He referred to Leo as the star player and apple of the manager’s eyes. Leo would in turn tease Cris about James’ inability to not hang around Cris, to which the older man would say that it was just puppy love.

 

They never talked about past relationships. That was a line, they both drew. Perhaps, that was what kept a bond from being formed. Whenever the topic came near Cris would simply make up an excuse and walk away from the table.

 

Their families were worse. Leo’s mother had dropped countless hints about them showing up at family events and they did. But their hands never touched in private, and the first week when they were in Rosario Cris took the room opposite of Leo’s. The plan was to sneak out when the whole house was asleep and then sneak back in before anyone awoke.

 

It worked well, until Leo’s mother made the unfortunate mistake of thinking there was a burglar. What she had found instead was a sheepish Cris who then had to explain why he was sneaking back into Leo’s room with his pillow, when he wasn’t supposed to leave the room at all, let alone with a pillow.

 

His mother had simply stared at them, and never brought it up. But the day they had left, she had pulled Leo to the side her gaze calculating.

 

***

_“Take care of him Leo.” Celia Messi said her gaze never leaving her son’s._

_Leo wanted to hide underneath a rock. He would’ve never have thought that he would be getting marriage advice from his mother. Not that he didn’t want it, he just never imagined to have a marriage where such advice would be needed._

_“I don’t love him Mama.” He said adjusting the strap on the travel bag._

_Celia Messi sighed, sympathy flooding through her for both Cris and Leo._

_“It’s not about love, Leo. I don’t think how much you realize how the both of you need each other. Just because you’re not in love with him now, doesn’t mean you won’t ever be in love with him.”_

_Leo shrugged uncomfortably. Downstairs he could hear Cris laugh at something his brother said. It was funny, how Cris had fit in so perfectly. His family had known the truth, but that didn’t keep them from looking at Cris as part of the family. They had welcomed him with open arms._

_“Promise me one thing Leo. You won’t ever break his heart. That boy’s been through too much heartbreak in his life. He doesn’t show it, but he’s damaged on the inside. Don’t become another crack in his armor.”_

_“I promise Mama.”_

***

How disappointed would his mother be? Leo wondered as he stared up at the outer space themed ceiling. He could imagine his mother’s heartbroken look if she were here to view the fight.

 

His stomach grumbled as he continued in his thoughts. It had been a while since he had eaten, and after his shower he had made a beeline straight to the other room.

 

As the second noise erupted, Leo came to the conclusion it was better to eat something rather than spend the rest of the night awake on a hungry stomach. Ever so carefully, making sure he didn’t wake any of the other inhabitants of the room Leo slipped straight out the door.

 

The entire house was covered in pitch darkness and Leo mentally wondered the level of embarrassment he would feel if he fell down the stairs, or worse fell and then was found by Cristiano.

 

When he finally decreed the light of his phone (which he smartly brought with him) to not be too bright, Leo made his way carefully down the stairs. Normally, he would’ve sprinted down those stairs. But this wasn’t a normal time.

He had safely made it past the rows of shoes that had been thrown haphazardly all over the floor, because all of his children, bless their souls, lacked severe etiquette on how to put away their shoes. Leo also blamed Cris due to the fact that when it came to almost anything athletic, the Portuguese spoiled them rotten. Leo could almost count in his head the number of blue cleats Thiago had. Even though Cris constantly reminded him with disdain at his lack of fashion sense that there were multiple different shades of blue.

 

When he finally reached the kitchen. Leo noticed two things. One, there was a dim light on the kitchen. And two, there seemed to be an entity that was rumbling around the kitchen. Fear flooded him surrounded with a sense of disbelief. Of all the things, a robber would pick the kitchen of two esteemed footballers?  And then Leo face palmed himself because who on earth would want their house to be robbed? Clearly, the hunger had gotten to him.

 

He wondered if he should text Cris. But then the Portuguese would over react and probably scare the robber (who was apparently into kitchen appliances) away. And then what would be the chance of it not happening again? Therefore, he had to take care of it himself.

 

Very stealthily, Leo crept up on the robber who had been rummaging in one of the drawers and had his back turned to the entrance. One flying leap was all it took for Leo to still (stealthily of course) jump on top of the robber. Somewhere though, it was all miscalculated and the man stumbled forward losing his footing and causing them to crash on the floor.

 

“ ** _What the hell?!”_** the man groaned. Leo frowned, the voice was familiar. For a second, a thought flashed his mind. It couldn’t be-? Tentatively, he flashed the light from his phone on the robbers face. The robber who turned out to be a very in pain Cris who was staring up at Leo, as if the other man had gone on a rampage and destroyed all of his awards.

 

“Shit. Shit I am so sorry.” Leo rambled as he struggled to stand up. This proved to be more complicated then intended though, somewhere in the middle of Leo’s elaborate plan their limbs had gotten entangled together causing Leo to quite literally be pressed flat to Cris. Another groan caused Leo to look down in panic where his knee was now pressing into Cris’ knee. His **very** injured knee.

 

Alarm flowed through Leo, and he struggled for the second time to get up. But Cris’ hands caught a hold of his waist.

 

“Wait- wait just a second.” The Portuguese muttered through gritted teeth, pain crossing his handsome features as he mentally calculated the best way to get out. Leo wanted to get out of the embrace, since he was sure that his weight being added to Cris’ knee wasn’t doing wonders for any of them.

 

His third attempt earned him a glare from Cris.

 

“I said wait didn’t I?”

 

“I’m not sure waiting is going to help either of us. Didn’t the physio tell you not to put pressure on the knee?”

 

“I’m figuring out a way to get us out of this mess without damaging your precious legs too. Our kids love us, but don’t you think that they would be alarmed if in the span of just a night we went from professional footballers to stay at home dads?”

 

“Very funny.” Leo deadpanned as he turned his head to look in the opposite direction as Cris so cleverly tried to figure out a way from their mess.

 

“Got it!” The Portuguese’ triumphant exclamation made Leo roll his fondly (still looking to the side of course).

 

“Leo.” Leo could feel a hand on his face and he stiffened as said hand pulled his face back to it’s original position.

 

“I don’t mean to be rude, but you probably not watching where you were going was the whole reason we got into this mess.” Cris sounded snarky from below Leo, and that infuriated the Argentinean.

 

“Well maybe if you had turned on all the lights in the kitchen like a normal person, then I wouldn’t have thought there was a robber in the house.”

 

“What type of robber would break into a house, just to be in the kitchen? Do spatulas turn him on?”

 

Leo was about to open his mouth again to deliver what he thought was a fitting comment when Cris interrupted again “Nonetheless, can you just please look here so we can get out of this mess?”

 

Leo felt the same hand tug down on his face and as he looked down finally, he was hit with a close-up of Cris’ face.

 

_Oh God._

Had they always been in this close proximity the entire time? In fact, now that he realized it, Cris’ hand (the one still nestled on his waist) was relaying heat through his shirt, and wait- was Cris shirtless?

 

He was, as Leo discovered much to his growing horror. He cursed his luck for picking a day where he skipped food, had a fight with Cris, and then went to sleep in a different bedroom. All which had culminated in a rather tragic turn of events where now he was on top of a shirtless Cris in a rather compromising position.

 

By this time the Portuguese had noticed the way Leo was looking at him, and the position his hands were located on the other’s body. Something switched in Cris’ eyes. Leo could only watched in a sort of transfixed fascination as the older man’s eyes grew darker.

 

Wait. Why were they growing darker? Oh God. Leo’s eyes widened as the mental realization hit him again of how they were laid out. On the kitchen floor nonetheless. He needed to do something fast.

 

“I hate to-” damn it. His voice sounded wrecked, and he cleared it a few times before starting again.

 

“I hate to break this…. cozy moment. But didn’t you say you had a wonderful plan to get us out of this situation?”

 

Something changed in Cris’ eyes and for a second, the walls that had come down came back up. His hands slipped from Leo’s face, and back down to his waist. Which didn’t help either, but it was an improvement from the original intimate position they were in before.

 

Carefully, ever so carefully Cris shifted a little and Leo realized that the whole position arose from the issue of his leg being trapped underneath Cris’. Gingerly, he stood up carefully dusting himself off before stretching out his hand to Cris. The latter seemed surprised for a second before grabbing Leo’s hand and pulling himself up.

 

As the older man dusted himself off, Leo made a note to make it out of the kitchen.

 

_Get out of the kitchen now Leo. Get out now, before things get anymore awkward._

But weren’t they awkward already? And once again Leo cursed his mind and its ability to stress him out. He had taken a successful three steps back when Cris stopped him.

 

“You’re hungry right? That’s why you came down to the kitchen.”

 

_Damnit. Damn Cris and his perceptive abilities. And why was his heart feeling light at the fact that Cris had noticed that about him?_

“No-“ Leo lied wondering if Thiago had any snacks in his backpack. A simple granola bar would suffice rather than having Cris make him food. Even though he would enjoy the idea. Leo berated his heart and its clear betrayal with his mind.

 

“Shut up and sit down. I’m making us both food. I don’t want Barcelona to bring me to court for starving their precious forward.” Cris’ tone was light but brokered no argument as he turned around to experiment with the pots and pans, searching for a quick and easy meal.

 

Leo should’ve left. He should’ve gone back to bed and slept on his empty stomach. He should’ve really done a lot of things. But there was a strange feeling in his heart that caused him to sit down on a bar stool and watch as Cris danced around the kitchen making them food at one in the morning.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you like it? Did you?


	6. neymar

Neymar didn’t really know what he was thinking. A lot of things were wrong with him apparently. He had barely gotten a wink of sleep and that was based off the fact that he had gone on Instagram at what appeared to be the worst time in the history of times to go on Instagram.

 

He had been scrolling through his feed smiling at the pictures until a certain post had caught his eye. It had been Cris’ post (and yes Neymar followed him on Instagram to live through the behind the scenes vicariously). But this post was different. Because Leo was in it. Not that Leo didn’t make features on Cris’ Instagram, or Cris didn’t make features on Leo’s Instagram. But this post was different.

 

For starters, Cris was shirtless and Leo looked like he had just rolled around in a bed. There was no caption, just the emoji with heart eyes which of course made all of Cris’ 81 million Instagram followers break out in speculation on the context of the picture.

 

Neymar should’ve stopped right there. He shouldn’t have even scrolled past all comments. But he did and his heart deflated with every single one. Even the Cristiano haters had to grudgingly admit that the picture was goals. Everything from the caption to Leo’s mussed up hair and dimpled smile, to Cris’ grin, and the fact that it was posted at one in the morning defined the epitome of relationship goals.

 

When Neymar had finally put his phone down, he had felt sick to his stomach. _It’s to be expected._ He thought lying awake. After all, they _were_ married. Was Leo moving on? He had told Neymar that they weren’t even intimate. Surely, surely Leo wouldn’t lie to Neymar? Maybe they weren’t in a relationship anymore, but Leo still loved him.

 

The statement was meant to be relaxing. It was meant to cheer Neymar up, but it still made him sleep terribly for the rest of the night.

 

******

When he rang the doorbell to the Messi-Ronaldo house that morning Neymar mentally braced himself for a lot of things. A hickey on Leo’s neck perhaps? Or even worse, one of the kids opening the door and informing that their dads hadn’t gotten up yet which meant that Neymar would have to sit through an excruciating period of time wondering what exactly was going on behind those closed doors.

 

What he didn’t, most definitely didn’t expect was for Cris to open the door. The older man was dressed in his training kit holding Mateo in one hand as he stared at Neymar. Instantly, Neymar felt underdressed and unattractive. Which was ridiculous, they were both wearing their training kits, yet somehow Cris managed to pull the kit off much better than Neymar could ever hope to.

 

“Yes?” Cris stretched out the word, one perfect eyebrow arched up (because everything about him was perfect) as he looked like Neymar standing on the doorstep of his house was the strangest thing to ever happen.

 

_Breathe Ney. Breathe. Just think how traumatized the kids will be if you kill their dad on the spot. Not to mention you’ll be in prison for the rest of your life. And Davi will probably hate you._

The thought of his son, and how horrible he would look in a jumpsuit was what kept Neymar from wrapping his fingers around Cris’ throat.

 

“I’m here for Leo. I’m going to drive him to practice.” Neymar stated in monotone. Monotone was best. Too chirpy would probably sound forced, and then too subdued would give the impression he was dying of a broken heart. Which he really wasn’t okay? He was doing just fine.

 

“Oh.” Cris sounded slightly surprised before holding up one finger. Neymar waited, rather patiently as Cris yelled into the house “Leo! Your chauffeur is here!”

 

insulting. Now that was insulting. Neymar glared at the back of Cris’ head. He wasn’t Leo’s chauffeur. He was Leo’s teammate who was giving Leo a ride to Camp Nou. Which, in hindsight made sense for him to be called a chauffeur. But he wasn’t about to say that to Cris.

 

It only took two seconds for his bad mood to evaporate because Leo appeared. Looking radiant. Well Leo always looked radiant. Neymar had to mentally countdown to ten to resist the urge to kiss the living daylights out of Leo.

 

“Ney!” Leo looked delighted to see him. That was good right? Leo didn’t seem unhappy, or annoyed to see him.

 

Leo turned to Cris where the other was watching their exchange with an unreadable expression on his face.

 

“Sorry for leaving you so early. But Lucho literally wanted our asses-“ Leo was cut off by Cris who let out a laugh that was so airy Neymar wanted to throw up. Right on Cris’ cleats.

 

“Leo. Seriously it’s okay. I got this okay? Just think about the question I asked you, and I’m looking forward to tonight.” Neymar watched through narrow eyes as Cris suddenly looked shy an almost pink blush grazing his cheeks.

 

To his horror, Leo didn’t look that annoyed or disgusted by the sudden affection. Rather, he sent a dazzling smile to Cris.

 

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world. See you tonight. Bye Matu, I love you!” with that Leo placed a kiss on the baby’s cheek before smiling at Cris one last time.

 

“Ney come on we’re gonna be late!” Leo grabbed Neymar’s arm before tugging him down the stairs. As Ney looked back he could see Cris sending him a knowing amused look.

 

“Leo-“ Ney said as they finally reached his car, and Leo finally let go of his arm (which was good because Neymar was starting to lose feeling in it) “What was Cris talking about?”

There were a few seconds, before Leo looked back up a pink blush on his cheeks.

 

“He asked me out on a date tonight!”

 

 _Oh God it's happening._ Neymar thought as his stomach revolted and he threw up right on his cleats. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts?


	7. cris

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's so short. School has been kicking my butt. But I plan to consistently update more often this week.

The restaurant had to be perfect. It wasn’t that Cris didn’t go on a lot of dates, but rather it was the fact that he didn’t know how to go on a date with  **_Leo._ ** The thought, both alarmed and amused him at the same time and he spent the rest of training running possible scenarios of what could happen on the date. He didn’t expect much to happen but at the same time a small part of him hoped for alternatives that were more pleasing to think about. 

 

When he had first informed the team that he was taking Leo out on a date, practice had come to a standstill. Even Zidane, had wandered out to offer his two cents on the ideal date. Much to Cris’ horror and the team’s amusement Zidane offered up a restaurant he had taken his wife too. It was a small quaint affair that was responsible for serving some of the best athletes and therefore allowed for little intrusion on privacy. 

 

****

_ “Take it.” Zidane had said his face crinkling into an impassive stare as he pressed the piece of paper into Cris’ hand.  _

 

_ Cris didn’t know what to say. What were you supposed to say anyways? It almost felt like he was back in school and Zidane was the teacher giving the informational lecture on sex. If that happened, Cris would actually throw up.  _

 

_ “Don’t worry. Leo’s a quiet person, and I’m sure that wherever you take him, he’ll be happy.”  _

****

 

And now here Cris was sitting in the restaurant. A sense of anxiety played along with his increasingly shaky knee. The waiter had already passed by two times out of pure wonder, and the third simply to do his job. Cris had ordered just water. He didn’t drink even though his nerves commanded him too, and a small part of him felt Leo would be less than impressed if Cris were to be drunk on their first date. 

 

Cris was on his third attempt into memorizing the menu when he heard a slight cough behind him. He could recognize that cough anywhere. He whirled around so fast, he was surprised that A) he didn’t fall and B) he didn’t get whiplash. 

 

_ Goddamn.  _

 

Because, there in front of him stood Leo looking quite red as he hovered uncertainly debating whether he should step closer to Cris or stay at the respectable distance he was currently standing at. 

And at that moment, standing right there in that restaurant, Cris came to the conclusion that Leo had never looked more attractive. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed! Comments are highly appreciated!


	8. neymar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M FINALLY BACK. Life has been so crazy, so I apologize for the massive delay in updating. But now I'm back :)

_Pick up Leo. Why wasn’t he picking up?_

Mentally, Neymar wondered what else could go wrong with him on this day. After his ill fated accident, he had to hose down his cleats before getting a new pair. All which happened in front of Leo who had been looking at him speculatively throughout the entire ride to Camp Nou. And then there was training. Usually, Neymar was the type of person who liked to laugh during training and make everyone at least three percent deafer by the end. Today though he was surlier than ever reflecting on the fact that Leo was going on a date with Cristiano. So surly, that Lucho had yelled at him three times and he had knocked over one of the trainers twice. In fact, things had gotten so bad that eventually it was Pique who had pulled him away from his increasingly annoyed teammates.

***

_“Spit it out, before Lucho decides to wring your neck with no remorse.” Pique’s voice was light, and a smile lay on his face as he stretched besides Neymar, but his tone was serious. Neymar frowned focusing on his laces almost feeling like a kid who was being scolded by their parent for increasingly bad behavior._

_In this case though Pique was the parent, which would’ve been funny if the situation itself wasn’t so damn pitiful. “Nothing’s wrong. I’ve just been have a crummy day.” Neymar said staring down at his laces wondering if Pique would take the hint and bug off. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to talk or laugh or enjoy himself, it was that he couldn’t._

_“This wouldn’t have anything to do with Leo would it?”_

_Geri’s voice sounded knowing and Neymar wondered if all his crumminess was translated equivalently on his face. “No. Not everything revolves around Leo you know.” His voice was shaking and Neymar wondered if it could be heard. There was a moment of silence and as time drew on,_

_Neymar couldn’t help but look up. Which was probably the worst mistake of his life. Because there stood Leo. And behind him stood Geri smiling knowingly, before walking away. Shit. Shit. Shit. What was he supposed to say? Was he supposed to apologize for what he said?_

_Because right now Neymar didn’t feel like apologizing very much. If anything, Leo should’ve been the one to apologize. Leo was going on a date, with someone who wasn’t Neymar. What on earth made sense about that? Neymar didn’t like to be possessive, but at the same time Leo had never gone dates with anyone else besides Neymar. But now Leo was going on a date with Cristiano fucking Ronaldo. It was almost as if Neymar had gotten a nasty cut and during the process of healing someone came and poured rubbing alcohol all over. So Neymar with a sense of much controlled dignity, did the only thing he could think of as reasonably sane in that very situation. He got up, and walked away._

_*_ **

The rest of training had gone rather subpar after that. Ney had to team up with Leo who unfortunately had been trying everything to get Neymar’s attention. And in turn, Neymar had done everything he possibly could to avoid Leo. He ultimately ended up leaving practice early because if he had spent another moment around Leo, the contents of whatever was left in his stomach would come up for the second time that day.

And now, after tucking Davi into bed Neymar lay on his sofa staring at his phone. There had been multiple texts from Geri, Dani, and various other teammates who had all clearly thought he had gone off his rocker. He hadn’t though. He was nursing a broken heart, and if anyone else thought that it was easy to get over someone, they were dead wrong.

As he scanned his phone for the fourth time in ten minutes, he realized that there were no texts from Leo. In fact, their last conversation had been about two days before talking about carpooling options. It had been short and not very sweet. Was his relationship with Leo changing? Neymar shuddered at the horrifying insinuation. He had seen people who had fallen out of love as quickly as they had fallen in love.

The distance, plus the repressed memories had caused these people to dance around each other gingerly, leading to some very awkward situations. That couldn’t be him and Leo. Leo was his everything. Neymar had and would always worship Leo, and the idea of Leo being married didn’t bar him off of anything. He sat up suddenly, wincing as the rush of blood flowing made him temporarily light headed. He grabbed his phone punching in a number that he had memorized by heart.

He wasn’t going to lose Leo. Never in a million years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! I hope you guys enjoyed!


	9. leo

The restaurant was a lot fancier than Leo had ever expected. They had been on dates before. But those had been dates for the starved media and their more starved fans. Those dates had been well practiced touches, sometimes a kiss on the cheek in front of the waiter. But it had been only that. Once the date was over so went the pretenses. Therefore, Leo had never really had an opportunity to experience an actual date. 

 

Now he stood in front of the restaurant feeling underdressed. All of his teammates had offered to drop him off, and he figured they knew just how much a pit of nerves he really was. But then again, none of his teammates really knew what the marriage was really like. Cristiano rarely visited, but when he did he blended in perfectly with the team. He didn’t talk much, always watch carefully with guarded looks but he didn’t shut himself out either. Most of the team, had eventually gotten used to him and soon he was just one of the supportive spouses who came along to games when he could. In fact, in the past five years Cristiano had become more a part of the family than ever. 

 

Leo enjoyed those moments. It was probably the one time that he had seen Cristiano the most relaxed he had ever been. The Real Madrid star seemed to forget his enmity with Barcelona especially Pique, who much to Leo’s amusement and surprise glossed along perfectly with Cristiano. 

 

****

_ “I never thought I would say this, but Cris isn’t as bad as I thought he would be” Geri said as he leaned against the countertop of the kitchen in the Messi-Ronaldo house entertaining both a fascinated Junior and an equally amused Thiago.  _

 

_ Leo snorted as he managed to balance all the dirty plates on one hand before dumping them all into the sink, wincing as he heard loud crash.  _

 

_ “Were you expecting him to be some monster perhaps? That breathes fire?”  _

_ “No. But I was expecting him to be some egomaniac with lots of hair products, and someone that makes your life pretty much hell.” Geri’s tone was casual but guarded as he let his fingers dance around the countertop forming different positions that earned an insane amount of clapping from Thiago and Junior.  _

 

_ Leo kept his tone airy, conscious of Pique’s gaze boring into his back.  _

 

_ “Well you’re not wrong about the hair products. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Anto own that many hair products. I don’t even need that many. Actually I haven’t-”  _

 

_ “What about Neymar?” the question was as light as possible. Just like one fellow teammate asking another about the thirds grooming habits. _

_ “Geri.” Leo turned around holding a wet dishcloth in his hand while looking at the other man warningly. He was glad to see that the kids had yet to pick up on the tone switch that had occurred.  _

 

_ Pique looked back unnerved and suddenly Leo was reminded why Pique was his best friend. The Spanish defender knew things about Leo that perhaps Leo didn’t know about himself.  _

 

_ The staredown would’ve continued had Cristiano not stepped through the door. The Portuguese looked surprised for a few seconds before acknowledging Pique “Geri. How nice to see you.” Leo could feel his own cheeks heat up again and he wondered that if this time Geri would mention to Cris what they were talking about. He hoped not. _

 

_ The defender acknowledged the greeting but his gaze never left Leo’s. Leo felt that he was being interrogated for a potential crime, where Geri was the prosecutor, the judge, and the jury all in one.  _

 

_ “I have to leave unfortunately. But Leo we’ll talk tomorrow?” Geri’s tone was anything but light as he slipped his jacket on before placing kisses on Thiago and Junior’s foreheads.  _

 

_ Cristiano turned facing Leo looking confused.  _

 

_ “When we used to play together I swear he was a lot less weird. Did something happen while I was gone?”  _

 

_ Leo shrugged wondering if these constant flow of lies would ean him a ticket straight to hell.  _

_ “Nothing’s wrong. Nothing at all.”  _

 

***

Thankfully Leo had avoided the conversation with Geri for almost two weeks. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to have the conversation with Geri. After all, Leo wasn’t being unfaithful. As for the question of Neymar, Leo had tried to keep his relationships with the Brazilian as professional as possible. After the fight with Cristiano, Leo had been extra careful with training. Any time Neymar appeared to be upset, it took all of Leo’s self control to not run over and envelop him in a hug. 

 

And when Neymar had finally walked away, Leo had brushed off the giant pit in his stomach. He shouldn’t have been feeling the pit in the first place. But with every step that Neymar took away from him, Leo felt as if more and more pieces of his heart had been ripped, shredded, and thrown into the air. Even now, the excitement that should have been present in his heart was absent. If someone had asked Leo to be happy at that very moment even his decent acting skills wouldn’t have been able to help him out. 

 

_ Why was he feeling so guilty? He was  _ **_married._ ** _ To someone who wasn’t Neymar. To someone who was waiting for him inside at this moment.  _

 

At that moment Leo wished his feet could move. But not in the direction they were supposed to go, his feet wanted to move away from the restaurant, away from this city and away from this life. This wasn’t the life he wanted. Years ago, if someone had told him that the price of chasing his dreams would be this Leo would have stayed that pale, sickly, shy, friendless boy. He would have never ever ventured near a football ever in his life. 

 

But unfortunately, he had chosen this life. More importantly, his heart had chosen this life. And sacrifices had to be made. He took a deep breath, grabbed the restaurant handle, and stepped inside. 

 

***

He didn’t have to look far when he spotted Cristiano. The latter had dressed well for the occasion, but even if he hadn’t he would’ve still managed to stand out. Currently, he appeared to be staring at the menu with concentration. 

 

_ Go to him Leo. Why the hell are you standing here like a fucking idiot. Go to him before he thinks you’re chickening out.  _

 

It was at times like these Leo really, really hated his mind. Grudgingly, he walked over to the table attempting to plaster on a most convincing smile. When Cristiano still didn’t look up, he let out a slight cough. 

 

It worked, because the Portuguese looked up instantly before smiling widely. 

 

_ Damn that smile.  _ Leo felt his heart pick up a little at the genuineness that was being directed towards him at this moment. 

 

“Thank God, I thought you were our waiter. The guy’s been by like five times. I think he’s trying to sell a story about Cristiano Ronaldo eating alone.” Cristiano laughed a little and Leo could feel his stomach unclenching and a feeling of relaxation overtaking him. 

 

_ This isn’t that bad. So far at least.  _

 

“Wonder what the tabloids would say about that. Your manager would have a field day and an aneurysm at the same time.” Leo retorted back playfully his own grin widening as he saw Cristiano smiling even more widely. 

 

“Skip the aneurysm and straight to the morgue. Poor Jorges.” Cristiano said clicking his tongue in a sympathetic manner, before bursting out laughing. 

 

“You probably think I’m some sadistic bastard for laughing at the death of my manager.” 

 

“Not completely sadistic. I mean living with you for five years has gotten me to see a lot of Jorges, I can’t say that imagining his reaction to something like this wouldn’t be funny.” Leo said. 

 

Cristiano stopped laughing and stared at Leo intently. Leo could feel his own cheeks heating up wondering if he’d taken it a step too far. 

 

_ Smooth Leo. Real smooth.  _

 

“I-um. I should probably get your seat for you.” Cristiano said as he struggled to get up, something which was strange for a graceful athlete like him. 

 

“It’s okay. I got it.” Leo said reassuringly as he slipped into the seat interrupting the older man’s struggle with his own chair. 

 

Cristiano seemed grateful for the save as he sank down again before handing a menu to Leo. 

 

“I wasn’t sure what you wanted so I waited. But I’m um, kind of hungry, so can we order now?” he sounded insecure as he asked Leo, and the latter felt a sort of endearment to see the older man so nervous. 

 

“Let’s order.” And as he glanced down at his menu, Leo felt that perhaps this night wasn’t as bad as it possibly could’ve been. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started out with something completely different than what I ended up with for this chapter. SO, let me know how you like it.


	10. a little update

Hey guys!

I sincerely apologize from the bottom of my heart about the lack of updating on all of my work. My brother recently got married, and the whole process has been chaotic (being a brown wedding and all) especially with my sister-in law applying for a visa, immigration stuff, etc, so she can come over here to live permanently. But now that most of the things have been settling down and my brother's back in the States I'm gonna start updating again.

Second, I work a lot AND I'm taking summer classes. I mostly have night shifts which means that I come home late around 11 sometimes even midnight (very rarely so far, thank god). This means that me being the naturally lazy person I am, I sleep for most of the day or I study, or I'm out doing a million things for my fan, I haven't even watched a full match in like 6 months (football highlights, and apps have literally been my lifesaver). With that being said, I've become extremely negligent when it comes to replying to comments and stuff from you guys. I see the comments, but I just don't get a chance to reply. So for that, I'm super sorry as well. I'm slowly starting to build up on time management skills again, so I will be replying as best as I can, keep those comments coming!

For this story in particular, I do have a few pages for the next chapter written but its a WIP.  
Right now though, my biggest focus is on I Never Thought You'd Be The One I'd Fall in Love With (I just realized how long the title is). I know a lot of people have asked about me working on that, so that's what I'm going to do first.

Thanks again for reading my stuff and commenting on it. It really means the world and has allowed me to expand on my writing not only on this site but academically as well. I love you all and I hope you're having a fantastic summer if you're done with school for the year like I am, and if you're not, just a few more weeks and then you're finally free!

Lots and lots of love <3

**Author's Note:**

> I know its kind of a short beginning. But I plan to add an actual lengthy chapter by today. So, this is kind of teaser.  
> Comments are highly appreciated!
> 
> Also who do you guys want to hear from for the next chapter? Leo, Cris or Ney?


End file.
